1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.g4 Be6 "I am surprised that this line is becoming popular today, especially since White seems to have 'forgotten' that the problem lies in this variation: 9...Bxg4!? 10.fxg4 Nxg4 11.Nb3!? d5! 12.exd5 Bxc3!! I just don't see what White can do here! Black seems to be in great shape. However, Cmilyte played 9...Be6 and got slowly outplayed by the woman World Champion."

Any new opinions or detail on this line? I'm enjoying the dragon in general but don't have an answer to 9.g4. Stockfish 10 loves white in the quoted 9...Bxg4 line, and won 4 of 4 games in a little self play match I had it play yesterday. So in general, how does black put pressure on white here, or at least try to draw?

I know that nothing above was forced but it gives some insight in these complicated (more interesting than in 9. g4 Be6 variations IMHO) positions. Well, there are also 10. h3 d5! dynamic lines...

What you think more or less interesting than 9...Be6 is subjective. I maintain that your lines (and yes, White can improve) basically do not solve Black's problems, at least not on short term. But I do not exclude the possibility that a 40 moves deep systematical analysis will show that Black can draw in more than one way, no.

The book had the effect good books usually have: it made the stupids more stupid, the intelligent more intelligent and the other thousands of readers remained unchanged.GC Lichtenberg

10.h3 seems to be critical but I like Black's compensation in the main line 10...d5! (Golubev's Gambit)11.g5 Nh7 12.Nxd5 Be6! - anyone wants to play this position with white? If it's possible, maybe some game played here would shed some light on the variation?

10.g:h5 is a solid response. After 11.0-0-0 better than 11...Bd7 from the mentioned game is 11...Qa5! with the idea that after 12.Rg1 (12.Nb3 Bxc3!; 12.Bc4 Qb4!; 12.Be2 Nf4!) Black plays 12...Nxd4 13.Bxd4 Bxd4 14.Qxd4 Be6 - and a bishop is better placed on e6 than d7, a knight from h5 in some variations jumps via f4. I think Black has a good game here, not worse than in the main line: 9.g4 Be6. Maybe we should check it here with some game?

Concerning 9.g4 h5 I refer to De Firmian-Garcia Martinez, Olympiade 1984. White played 10.gxh5 Nxh5 11.O-O-O. The Knight on h5 is offside, so combined play in the centre and on the King's wing should promise an advantage.

The book had the effect good books usually have: it made the stupids more stupid, the intelligent more intelligent and the other thousands of readers remained unchanged.GC Lichtenberg

The line I mentioned at the last updade at subscription section with Nxd4 Bxd4 Be6 is annotated by Ward who seems to be entusiastic about they new idea, in the passed he thought this was simply winning for white but he seems confident about blacks position. However I have not yet had time to analyse hes anotations so I dont know.

...If 10.Nxe6 is dangerous as well then White has an equally aggressive option with 9.g4, similar in ideas. I'm not so sure if 9...Nxd4 10.Bxd4 Be6 11.h4 is objectively better, mainly because I haven't all the transpositions figured out yet - White always can castle Queenside if it suits, though usually has to play a2-a3 first. For instance, to anticipate line d above, 11...Qa5 12.h5 Rfc8 13.hxg6 hxg6 14.a3 (14.g5 Nh5 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.f4 Skacel-Vacek, CZE 2005, Nxf4 17.Qxf4 Rxc3 -+) Rab8 (b5 at once) and now 15.O-O-O b5 transposes. But is 15.Bd3 really better?

and @bragesjo above as well:

I thought this was one of the central ideas in the 10. NxBe6 lines: if Black tries to avoid this exchange via 9. g4 NxNd4 10. BxNd4 Be6 then 11. h4!? and there is no need to castle! I usually follow this up with the quick h4-h5-h6 plan. After the exchange of 1 pair of Knights the White King feels safe enough to reside in the centre for a while..

"I play honestly and I play to win. If I lose, I take my medicine." - Bobby

I am at work too. I think I have seen this line or something similar (as in maybe not with a3) by transposition in Experts vs the Sicilian. Is this correct?

There is a similar line in 9 0-0-0 yugoslav after Nxd4 10 Bxd4 Be6 but white can play Kb1 instead of g4. After Kb1 Qa5 at once is prevented so black needs to play Qc7 followed by Rfc8 in order to play Qa5. White is a tempo up and it changes the position considerly and white gets a strong attack, like playng a qucik h4 - h5 instead of g4..